In July 2000, HomeGain performed a survey on home improvements made for the sole purpose of preparing a home for sale. 2,000 real estate agents were surveyed nationwide and it was found that moderately priced home improvements actually yielded the highest returns when a house was sold.

The typical home on the survey consisted of 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,892 square feet with a sale price of $201,798.

As highlighted in the chart, several of the improvements are encompassed in the home Staging process. (More info at www.homegain.com)

Improvement	Typical Cost	Increase in Sales Price	Average Return	Agents who recommend
Lighten and brighten	$86-110	$768-935	769%	84%
Clean and De-clutter	$305-339	$2,093-2,378	594%	91%
Fix plumbing and electrical	$338-381	$922-1,208	196%	63%
Landscape and trim	$432-506	$1,594-1,839	266%	72%
Staging	$212-1,089	$2,275-2,841	169%	76%
Kitchen and bath upgrades	$1,546-2,120	$3,823-4,885	138%	83%
Paint Interior Walls	$1,453-$1,588	$2,342-$2,600	63%	69%
Repair flooring	$1,531-1,714	$2,267-2,589	50%	62%
Paint exterior walls	$2,188-2,381	$2,907-3,233	34%	57%
Replace carpeting	$2,602-2,765	$3,585-3,900	39%	65%